Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making Of Harry Potter

New this spring is the Forbidden Forest. Entering through gigantic steel Hogwarts gates, you can walk among the entwined roots of 19 huge trees, where you will encounter Aragog, the fearsome giant spider with a leg-span of 18ft, and Buckbeak, the noble Hippogriff. Marvel at the attention to detail which meant that every hair on the spider’s body, and every feather on the Hippogriff, were inserted by hand.

Even before this impressive new addition, the Tour was spectacular. You start off in the Great Hall of Hogwarts, with the costumes of characters mounted on a dais, before seeing whole sets: there’s the Gryffindor Boys’ Dormitory, Dumbledore’s office, the Potions classroom and the Malfoy Manor drawing room. In a way, it’s the small details that impress most: the craftsmanship in the Golden Snitch, as fabulous as jewellery, and the fact that every wand was handmade, with different styles of wand to match the character’s personality.

After that, you’ll find a 20,000 sq ft recreation of Platform 9, with the authentic Hogwarts Express steam train that took Harry to Hogwarts; the Creature Effects Workshop, full of animatronic beasts and latex heads; and a full-scale replica of Diagon Alley. The tour climaxes with a vast 1:24 scale model of the whole of Hogwarts. Book your tickets here.